Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1887-02-09

edition by the first proxlmo.
The Proposed New Charter.
The Assembly bill introduced by
Mr.. Knox is the draft Of general
Law to govern cities of the second
class, having a population of more
than thirty thousand and not exceed
ng one hundred thousand. If this
bill should become law, and the
people of Los Angeles should elect
to come under its provisions, our city
would thereafter be governed by it.
We admit that there are some OF its
features that strike us as wise, and
that would help u1 out of some OF the
difficulties we now experience under
our present charter. Perhaps the
most important of these is the Sec
ton which limits the contraction OF
an Indebtedness by the city during
any year to the amount of the income
and revenue provided for such year
and the provision in section 3l7,
which loosens the rigidity of this
limitation by authorizing the city to
incur indebtedness exceeding the
revenue by submitting the PROPOSE
ton Of issuing bonds to vote of the
people. In a city like Los Angeles,
which is growing rapidly in size and
developing the need of great and ex-
pensive public Improvements in or
der to keep pace with the march of
it's onward progress, there should be
a practical way by which the munich
pality could raise the money neces-
sary to meet the cost OF these neces-
sary improvements. But the ques-
ton also arises would this important
measure OF relief justify us in incur
ring the peculiar risks we might be
called upon to run by adopting
law which would take the place of
our present charter, and which would
be subject to amendment by each re-
recurring Legislature. If Mr.. Knox's
bill, or any bill passed upon the clas-
sification principle, should become
the governing law of the municipality
of Los Angeles, then we would be
tied to all the cities in the State of the
same class. JusA now Oakland and
Sa cramento would constitute the
other cities of the second class. Are
our interests and our wants so iden-
teal with these two cities that any
future amendments required by them
would also be required by us? On
the other hand, is not our city radi-
cally antagonized by at least one of
these cities in regard to the great
question OF irrigation? The people
of Sacramento believe in riparian
rights. The riparian principle, if it
ever should be injected into the law
governing our city, might work the
most damaging results to us. Oak
land would very likely join with Sac
ramento in tinkering the law, and we
might wake up some fine morning to
find that cities of the second class
had been effeetually riparianized,
and that the ranches on the upper
banks of the Los Angeles river pos
sessed the power to prevent us from
appropriating the waters Of the stream
which now makes glad the vineyards
and orange groves of our city. We
cannot afford to take any chances OF a
municipal liaison which might open
the door to any such calamity. We
cannot say precisely how this might
be brought about. But to show that
such a stroke is possible, is to
make US wary of any legislative
that might place
ms at its mercy. The incom-
patibility of the interests of our city
with those of Oakland and Sacra-
MEMO in this one respect alone is
sufficient to warn US to keep out of
my copartnership with them in a
governing law that might be changed
It any session of the Legislature.
We want relief from the financial
pressure Of our urgent public necessi-
ies-we should have the power to
'aise money to meet them; but we
'annot afford to obtain this relief Mt
he risk of having our control of the
vater of the Los Angeles river inter-
ered with. Better to get along as
lest we can for couple of years,
Then we may have sufficient popula-
ion to get into the class with San
'rancisco, which, under the consti- !
qeton, can make its own charter, and i
~ which the Legislature can exer-
- no anending power. The
esenoth q our poaition now i in the | !
eee that our charter, imperiset = Il